10 CARVING UP THE CONGO THE WORLD BANK CONDONES LOGGING AS A POTENTIAL QUICK FIX ... IN THE NAME OF DEVELOPMENT CARVING UP THE CONGO 11 Tropical rainforest destruction and climate ‘There is a growing consensus change6 are two fundamental drivers that the traditional responsible for the world entering a period of concession-based industrial mass species extinction on a scale not seen logging model does not since the age of the dinosaurs.7 generate the desired economic, social and Climate change is the greatest threat the environmental benefits.’5 world faces today. This global problem Baroness Amos, Leader of the demands a global solution. In February 2007, UK Government House of a new report8 from the Intergovernmental Lords and UK Government Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) underlined the spokesperson on international case for immediate action to reduce all sources development, 2006 of climate changing GHG emissions, including deforestation and degradation of forested land.9 By storing carbon, forests play a powerful role in mitigating the growing instability of the climate. The Congo rainforests of Central Africa form the second largest remaining block of largely intact tropical forest in the world. Yet these globally critical carbon reserves are rapidly being degraded both by deforestation and by forest fragmentation – fifty million hectares of rainforest is being carved up by logging companies in Central Africa10 (that is an area the size of Spain) – and important carbon stocks lost. The recent return of peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the holding of democratic elections for the first time in the country’s history and the review of the legality of current forestry titles provide a unique opportunity for the international community to support genuine development in one of the world’s poorest countries and take critical action to protect the global climate. The recovery of the logging industry is probably the most significant change impacting the DRC’s forests in the post-war period.11 Agencies such as the World Bank are using their enormous financial influence to impose strategies for economic development on countries such as the DRC. The DRC’s rich rainforest and mineral resources, the main stakes of its recent wars, are now at the core of donor organisations’ assumptions about reconstruction. They are viewed as a quick source of tax revenue and foreign earnings to kick-start the country’s collapsed economy, and thereby, supposedly, to lift the country’s people out of poverty.12 ©Greenpeace/Davison 12 CARVING UP THE CONGO THE DRC: LARGEST STRONGHOLD OF CENTRAL AFRICA’S GLOBALLY SIGNIFICANT CONGO RAINFORESTS The spectacular Congo rainforests of Central Africa form the second largest rainforest block on earth after the Amazon forest, covering more than 172 million hectares.14 The rainforest contains numerous species of plants and animals found nowhere else on earth. The Congo forests are critical to the survival of our closest animal relatives: the bonobo, the chimpanzee and the gorilla. Millions of people, too, rely on the rainforest for shelter, medicine, food and their cultural survival. In global terms, the forest plays a critical role in keeping the planet’s climate stable by storing carbon.15 The DRC alone accounts for over 8% of that part of the world’s carbon stocks which is held in forest biomass and 75% of those left in the tropical rainforests of Central and West Africa.16 ©Greenpeace/Davison In this report, Greenpeace looks at the World Bank’s strategy of forestry reform against the But the future of DRC’s rainforest and of the Bank’s own measures of the effectiveness of life that depends upon it is in jeopardy. The its programmes in poverty alleviation. These expansion of industrial logging into remaining measures, according to the Bank’s ‘Annual areas of intact forest is the single largest review of development effectiveness 2006: threat to these forests.17 Across Central Africa, Getting results’, include: widespread destruction has been brought by industrial logging, both directly and via the It is not simply a question of 1. accountable and capable governance influx of settlers, poachers and artisanal or restoring governance systems small-scale miners that arrive once logging and restarting a dormant 2. effective delivery of essential services roads have opened a way into the forest. economy [in the DRC], but to the poor Outside the DRC, 71% of the richest Congo rather the much more rainforest area is slated for logging.18 difficult challenge of totally 3. sustainable and inclusive economic reforming existing, ill-adapted development Intact areas of rainforest are critical for governance and economic biodiversity protection and global systems. This will involve The first section of this report looks at the environmental services. Two-thirds19 of the controlling criminal and reforms themselves. The second section, remaining intact areas of Central Africa’s Congo corrupt systems and based on Greenpeace research and field rainforest lies within the Democratic Republic gradually replacing them with investigations, chronicles the governance, of the Congo (DRC).20 Ironically, as a result of transparent, equitable and and social and environmental impacts of decades of despotism and war, much of the democratic systems and industrial logging. DRC’s rainforest has not yet been destroyed by institutions.’13 the large-scale industrial logging and forest 2003 report for USAID Our work shows that even against the Bank’s clearance that has ravaged the rainforests own measures, its strategy for forestry sector elsewhere in Africa. Consequently, the DRC has reform is set to fail. This strategy is the largest remaining unbroken areas of largely unsustainable since it fails to protect Africa’s intact rainforest, vital to healthy ecosystem remaining rainforests, their biodiversity and functioning and the survival of large forest their critical contribution to protecting the mammals such as elephants.21 Well over a global climate. The strategy has also proved quarter22 of the DRC is still covered with large ineffective in neighbouring countries at areas of intact rainforest, covering some 60 tackling corruption or driving genuine million hectares.23 Within Central Africa as a development by supporting the rights and whole, only 8.5% of the remaining areas of needs of forest-dwelling communities. intact rainforest enjoys ‘protected’ status.24 CARVING UP THE CONGO 13 THE BATTLE FOR THE DRC’S ferocious fighting and atrocities against the ‘The danger posed by war RESOURCES: WINNERS AND civilian population, and up to the country’s first to all of humanity and to our LOSERS multiparty democratic parliamentary elections planet is at least matched Local people and the wildlife of the DRC have at the end of 2006, the DRC has been a by the climate crisis and all suffered as a result of years of conflict in battleground in a fight for control of natural global warming.’ 30 the battle for control over the country’s rich resources.25 UN Secretary General resources. With the end of war and democratic Ban Ki-moon, 2007 elections in the DRC, the international At its height, at least seven foreign armies community now has a unique opportunity to were involved in the war. For these forces – ensure that this rainforest is conserved. This is both foreign and Congolese – conflict was important for the well-being of the primarily an opportunity to loot the DRC’s communities whose way of life and future resources.26 ‘Corrupt and criminal elites’, depend upon it, the region’s unique wildlife, backed by foreign multinationals, joined in the and the sake of the global climate. Urgent free-for-all for control of the natural wealth action is needed to avoid replicating the of the DRC.27 failures of the past. During the war, extensive logging titles were In order to understand why the World Bank- awarded. One incentive for this large-scale led reforms to the forestry sector in the DRC speculation was the price: until 2003, a are an inappropriate development model for 200,000-hectare logging title cost only $286 poverty alleviation, they must be seen per year in forest area tax.28 These low taxes against the background of the preceding encouraged companies to acquire titles to decade of upheaval. forest they were not in a position to exploit, hoping to sublease to other investors once Since 1996 with the overthrow of General economic and political stability was Mobutu, continuing through nearly a decade of established.29 ©Greenpeace/Verbelen 14 CARVING UP THE CONGO By 2002, even though production was at a ‘Deforestation is a very large virtual standstill because of the war, about GHG emission source in the 43.5 million hectares of forest – an area larger developing world, accounting than California and twice the size of the United for up to 20% of global Kingdom – were controlled by the logging emissions – an amount industry31 (in addition to a dubious roughly comparable to the arrangement with the Zimbabwean army to entire annual fossil fuel log 34 million hectares of forests made, emissions of the United ostensibly, in return for Zimbabwean military States. Given the urgency of support for the Kinshasa authorities32). the climate change threat and Requests for new titles have continued to pour the ongoing drastic loss of into the Ministry of Environment.33 biodiversity, the cost effectiveness and the The 285 long-term holdings current in 2002 potential for relatively rapid overlapped with villages, agricultural lands and emissions reductions from biodiversity hotspots, depriving forest deforestation and forest communities of the right to manage their own degradation make it a vital forests. The establishment of new protected component of the global areas or community forests, or of forest-based effort to prevent dangerous activities other than logging, was made climate change.’40 impossible in these areas.34 As a World Bank- Climate Action Network led forestry sector review summarises the International (CAN), 2007 situation: ‘Forests were seized by logging interests and there was little space left for other forest uses.’35 These problems remain today.